2011 Rachmiel Levine Diabetes and Obesity Symposium R13 Grant Application Each year, the Department of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism at City of Hope holds an annual diabetes symposium named in honor of the late Dr. Rachmiel Levine, the scientist responsible for identifying human insulin-a vital discovery that has already helped save the lives of millions of patients around the world, and continues to be used in treatment today. Thus, the Levine Symposium is charged with the mission of bringing together leading international scientists, as well as young investigators and students, for the purpose of pooling new ideas and knowledge that will directly lead to major advances in our ability to fight, prevent, and even cure diabetes. In prior years, the Levine Symposium program has comprehensively covered the latest and most important topics in type 1 and type 2 diabetes research, with the highest annual attendance of nearly 400 scientists, physicians, fellows, and students from 22 countries and 30 U.S. states. The 2011 Rachmiel Levine Symposium, entitled "Advances in Diabetes Biology, Immunology, and Cell Therapy" will be held March 20-23, 2011 at The Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, California, and will highlight topics in islet immunology and inflammation, beta cell regeneration and survival, the link between diabetes and cancer, and new technologies in diabetes, including the artificial pancreas, in vivo islet imaging, and use of biocompatibility devices in islet transplantation. All presentations will link type 1 and type 2 diabetes research, and provide insight into the most recent developments in the field. The meeting will also feature debates on more controversial topics, such as the humanized mouse, the role of virus infection in type 1 diabetes, and regulatory T-cells (and their underlying defects in type 1 diabetes). The program will also include the results of recent clinical trials, technical workshops in islet biology, and oral presentations from young investigators to allow for greater interaction with those more experienced in the field. A poster session and a keynote dinner lectureship will complete the program. This year's meeting is expected to attract from both the U.S. and abroad, as it has in the past, well-established scientists, endocrinologists, diabetologists, islet biologists, stem cell and gene transfer scientists, transplant scientists, immunologists, cell biologists, as well as young investigators in all of the previously mentioned fields, in addition to other health care professionals involved in the management of patients with diabetes.. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: 2011 Rachmiel Levine Diabetes and Obesity Symposium R13 Grant Application The 11th Annual Rachmiel Levine Diabetes and Obesity Symposium will continue to offer investigators a state- of-the-art, comprehensive scientific forum of international caliber and scope by covering topics in islet immunology and inflammation, beta cell regeneration and survival, the links between diabetes and cancer, and new technologies in diabetes, including the artificial pancreas, in vivo islet imaging, and use of biocompatibility devices in islet transplantation. The meeting will also present debates on the latest controversial topics, including the humanized mouse, the role of virus infection in type 1 diabetes, and regulatory T-cells (and their underlying defect(s) in type 1 diabetes). Additionally, workshops will be offered on methods of islet preparation and quality testing. In the past, the Symposium has represented an invaluable source of knowledge sharing for the scientific and medical communities involved in diabetes and obesity research and care, and it will continue to promote new interactions and collaborations among young scientists and established leaders in the future.